"VRtually There" Brings A New 360-Degree Experience Each Week

A new series produced by USA Today is offering anyone the chance to feel the exhilarating thrill of flying down a track in a bobsled or flying headfirst down a hill of ice on a luge. The new channel is called "VRtually There" and isn't limited to winter sports. The new series will release weekly episodes that give viewers unprecedented perspectives from a variety of exciting events ranging from extreme sports, experiencing life in prison, or seeing a pilots perspective of a reenactment of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

What makes these videos so unique is not just the amount of work it takes to film and perform the episodes, but the real kicker is you can experience them in Virtual Reality. Don't have VR yet? Not a problem, YouTube allows you to view these videos using a new technology called a 360 video. It is just what it sounds like, it is a video that you can control where the camera points all the way in a full circle if you wanted, but be careful not to be looking the wrong way when the action takes off!

How about seeing a wheelchair athlete shred a skate park with his specialized wheelchair? Or experience what it would be like to be on a pit crew in a NASCAR race? All of these experiences are now becoming a little closer for the everyday person to be able to experience like never before. If you don't have a virtual reality headset, I fully recommend investing an HTC Vive and a computer to run it, the computer required to run the VR costs more than the VR headset which is kind of price barrier for a lot of people.

But the cost of VR is going down each year as the technology becomes more readily available, fine-tuned, and less expensive to make. Here is what USA Today had to say about their new show VRtually There:

<i>"USA TODAY NETWORK presents VRtually There, a weekly virtual reality series that delivers amazing adventures, extreme nature, sports fantasies, and the world's most fascinating people. We don't just tell incredible stories; we let you live the experience in fully immersive environments. Use your VR headset, laptop or smartphone to experience in 360° video and virtual reality. Download the USA TODAY app, now with virtual reality and subscribe to our YouTube page. Three new thrilling VR experiences each week. Immerse yourself."</i>

Ever wondered what it would feel like galloping full speed on a horse with a giant pole extended in front of you in the extreme sport called jousting? Well, there is a VRtually There video for that too. The channel already has dozens of difference experiences you can choose from. Just don't forget to check out my personal favorite, a first-person view of what it would be like to fly a WW2 bomber!

They should create one where the viewer can experience what it's like to hide behind ridiculous children's Halloween camouflage face paint to mask your lack of a chin, work for the most pathetic news organization on Earth, and be forced to work alongside a horsetoothed Filipino prostitute.